February 2012 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

ILLUSTRATIONS BY BJORN THORKELSON
the Book of Mormon, I drove to visit
my father in California. Not far from
his house I passed a building with a
mosaic on its front that I recognized.
I quickly turned into the parking lot
and found a man outside.
“What is Lehi’s vision of the tree
of life doing on your building?” I
asked. He then introduced me to his
church, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. I retrieved my Book
of Mormon from the car and began
asking him questions about all the
passages I had circled as I read. He
slowed me down and explained that
the Church had missionaries who
devoted two years of their lives to
answering questions like mine.
I gave him my father’s address,
and later two elders came to visit
me. I was impressed that they were
eager to answer all of my questions.
I was even more impressed that the
new concepts they taught me felt
like familiar things I was remembering
again. Five weeks later I was
baptized a member of the Church.
Thirty-two years have passed since
then, and I still read the Book of
Mormon daily. It has been a continuous
source of light and direction for
my family and me. How grateful I am
to the ancient prophets who etched
the words of God onto the golden
plates, to Joseph Smith for enduring
persecution and trials in order to
translate and publish its truths, and to
a server who had the courage to give
me a Book of Mormon that day. ◼
Cynthia Ann Lee, Nevada, USA
THE GOSPEL
GAVE ME PEACE
My family joined the Church when
I was six years old, and we were
sealed in the temple when I was eight.
My parents diligently taught me the
doctrines of our newfound faith, so I
grew up knowing that prayer, personal
scripture study, and other aspects of
the gospel could bring great peace.
It wasn’t until my mission, however,
that I truly came to appreciate the
plan of salvation. While I was serving
in Australia, my father passed away.
When my mission president came to
tell me what had happened, he gave
me a priesthood blessing that focused
a great deal on the plan of salvation.
That blessing, along with my personal
study in the following days, weeks,
and months, helped me learn and
appreciate this great doctrine more
than I ever had before. I was able to
view my circumstances through the
light of the plan of salvation, and I was
able to understand how truly wonderful
it is. The plan of salvation has come
to mean so much to me since then.
As I have continued to study the
scriptures since my mission, I have discovered
that much of the word of God
testifies of His “great plan of happiness”
(Alma 42:8). I know that there is life
after death and that we can be with our
loved ones again after this life. Knowing
that my mum, dad, and siblings and I
are sealed brings me great comfort.
This life does have painful experiences,
but life need not be hard. The
gospel of Jesus Christ makes things a
lot easier. Because of it, I know I can
feel a sense of peace and comfort at
all times, no matter what is happening
in my life. ◼
Sina Rogers, New Zealand
When my mission
president came to
tell me what had
happened, he gave
me a priesthood
blessing that focused
a great deal on the
plan of salvation.
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